Meeting Abstract

8.3  Tuesday, Jan. 4  IDisease dynamics of Bovine Tuberculosis and Rift Valley fever: a possible role for immune mediated interactions in coinfected African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) BEECHLER, BB*; EZENWA, VO; JOLLES, AE; Department of Environmental Science, Oregon State University; College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University; Odum School of Ecology, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia breebeechler@gmail.com

Studies in wildlife disease ecology typically investigate a single host-pathogen system, however natural populations are exposed to multiple pathogens simultaneously. These multi-parasite interactions have been shown to change host susceptibility to additional pathogens. We are investigating interactions between the invasive bacterial disease bovine tuberculosis (BTB) and the native viral disease rift valley fever (RVF) in a competent reservoir host, African buffalo (Syncerus caffer). Our results suggest that buffalo with chronic BTB are more likely to be infected with RVF than animals uninfected with BTB. However, this pattern does not hold for individuals recently infected with BTB. Although the mechanism for this interaction is unclear, one possible route of interaction is through BTB immune suppression. Animals with chronic BTB, but not acute BTB, have an altered immune response that may allow RVF to more easily infect those individuals. This demonstrates that disease interactions at an individual level (immune interactions) may alter infection dynamics at a population level.